Lot 145: A Bwa or Nunuma facemask

Bwa or Nunuma, Burkina Faso; H. 25"

Of typical form, presenting bold geometric incised motifs with remains of red, white, and black pigmentation.

Comments:
Embodying bush spirits, Bwa and Nunuma masquerades invoke the natural forces on which life depends and frequently represent them in the form of animals, reptiles, birds and insects. The masks are painted in various geometric patterns and signify order on the cosmic as well as political, economic, and religious level. The shape of the horns on this mask would imply those of the buffalo (Sincerest coffer) a beast seen only at dawn or dusk and associated symbolically with chiefs and culture heroes throughout much of Africa.

Provenance:
- Zollman Collection, IND
- Gelbard collection, NY

Publication History:
Remnants of Ritual: Selections from the Gelbard collection of African Art (2003) Bourgeois & Rodolitz; Pg. 4, Fig. 9

Exhibition History:
Exhibition History: USA: "Remnants of Ritual, Selections from the Gelbard Collection of African Art":
- University Park, IL: Governors State University, February 2003
- Krannert, IL: Krannert Art Museum, 26 August-26 October, 2003
- Kansas City, MO: Belger Art Foundation/UNIVERSITY of Missouri-
Kansas City, 2004
- Park Forest, IL: Tall Grass Art Association, 2005

Price Realized: $1,900

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